Mail-box.



No. 777,026. i PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904. W. G. JONES & R. M. GEORGE.

MAIL BOX.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12,1903.

N0 MODEL.

IDGDOIRS.

r f a NIE STATES Patented December 6, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

WILLIAM G. JONES AND RICHARD M. GEURG-E, OE CHA'ITANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

MAIL-BOX..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 777,026, dated December6, 1904.

Application filed August 12, 1903. Serial No. 169,263. (No model.)

To (If/ZZ 'La7/1,011 'llt may cm1/cern:

Be it known that we, l/VILLIAM G. Jonas and RICHARD M. GEonGE, citizensof the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamiltonand State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Mail-Box, ofwhich the following' is a specilication.

This invention relates to inail-boxes; and it consists in theconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully set forth, andillustrated in the accoi'nliianying drawing's.

The general object of the invention is to provide in a letter-box ofsheet metal of suitable thickness certain mechanism whereby unlawfulaccess to the box is positively obviated and a large free openingprovided for the introduction of mail-matter.

A special object of the invention is to provide in a box of thecharacter specified an oscillatory receiver and Ineans associated withthe lid of the box to oscillate the receiver, which shall be of thesimplest possible desig'n and of such character that its operation willbe positive and certain at all times.

A further object of the invention is to provide in connection with anoscillatory receiver a lid pivoted at its upper margin and adapted toserve as a shelter that projects over the opening of the box evenwhenthe lid is raised for the introduction of mail-matter, therebycompletely preventing' the entrance of rain or snow into the box.

In describing' the invention reference will be had to the accompanying'drawings, in which is shown one form of embodiment of the inventioncapable of carrying the same into practical operation, it beingunderstood that various changes in the form and proportion of theelements exhibited may be resorted to without departing from the spiritof the invention.

In the drawings, Eigure l is a front elevation of a mail-box embodyingthe invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section through themail-box shown in Eig. l, the parts being shown in full lines as in theposition for the introduction of mail-matter within the box and being'shown in dotted lines in the the forward wall of the box and the fronted g'eV of the top is an opening' 3 for the introduction of mail-matter,which is closed by a lid 4L, hinged at 5 and limited in its upwardnievement by the forwardly-curved Vflange Tatthe front margin of the topQ.

On the inner face of the lid f1 is rigidly secured near each end thereofanarm 6. which has pivotally connected therewith at 7 a link 8, pivotedat its front end, by means of a pin 9, to the side wall of the receiverl0, which is mounted for oscillatory movement on a pivotpin Il in eachend wall of the box at the eenter of curvature of the top 2. Thereceiver is open along one side, as shown, and along the other side hasa curved wall adapted to move just within the top 2 of the box when thereceiver is oscillated on its supportingpivots. At the upper margin ofthe opening' in the front side of the receiver the material forming thetop of the receiver when in receiving position is bent backward to forma curved guard 12, the curvature of which corresponds to that of the top2 of the box and the lid 4, which when in closed position issubstantially continuous with thetop. At the lower margin of the opening3 in the box the material forming the front wall thereof is bent inwardand extended downward to form a curved guard 13, over which the receivermay swing' and barely escape contact therewith.

It will be observed from an inspection of the drawings that when the lid4L of the box is raised and the receiver is swung' by means of the arm 6and the link 8 inte the position indicated in solid lines a largeopening is presented for the introduction of Inail-matter within thereceiver, thus adapting the box for i the reception of letters,newspapers, and packages of moderate size. It will also be noted thatthe lid 4 is when raised to uncover the opening 3 of the box still heldin such position that it projects forward some distance beyond the frontwall of the box and forms a protective shelter for the opening, suchthat rain and snow are excluded from the interior of the box.

From an inspection of the drawings, particularly the parts shown indotted lines in Fig. 2, it will be seen that when the receiver isdirected.downward to permit the discharge of mail-matter into the boxthe overlapping` guards l2 and 13, formed upon the receiver and the box,respectively, prevent any possibility7 of unlawful access to theinterior of the box by slightly raising the lid 4 and introdncing withinthe opening 3 a wire or other slen der implement. It will also be seenfrom careful examination of the drawings that the guard 13, formed atthe lower margin of the opening' 3, serves effectively to preventunlawful access to the box when the lid 4 is lowered slightly from thesolid-line position in Fig.

A special feature of the invention lies in the extremely simple form ofconnection between the pivoted lid 4 and the receiver', this connectioncomprising only two members so connected that any failure to actsatisfactorily is impossible.

Having thus described the construction and operation of our invention,what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A mail-box comprising an outer casing having an arched top rigidlymounted thereon and provided with a relatively large mail-receiving'opening in the front wall thereof, said top presenting an upwardly andforwardly curved iiange along the upper margin of said opening, a lidpivotally mounted at one edge just beneath said iange and limited in itspivotal movement by said flange, an oscillatory receiver closed at oneside and having at the opposite side an opening of the same size as theopening in the casing, a downwardly and inwardly curved guard-plate atthe lower margin of the opening in the casing, a rigid arm fixed uponthe inner surface of said lid, and a link pivoted at one end to said armand at the other end to said receiver so that the raising of the lidwill swing the receiver into position to receive mail and the loweringof the lid will swing the receiver into position to empty its contents.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as ourown we have hereto afxedour signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM G. JONES. RICHARD M. GEORGE. Vitnesses:

J. H. J oHNs, I/V. J. GRIFFIN-is.

